I weigh 165. I was on what was supposedly a 54, but had to have been a bit longer. My wager is 55 or so effective TT. I felt the flex most in out of the saddle climbing, but it was more pronounced when I was 235lbs as a former weightlifter on a noodly 2008 Specialized and it tracked fairly poor in corners.

Of the no name frames I rode, this was actually the best, for whatever that's worth.

I'm sorta confused. This is the best frame you rode out of all the open mold Chinese frame you were asked to test? But it was terrible?

For reference, what are the best few frames you've ridden, in your opinion?

Yup, all of the frames weren't great. The company was exploring using a new manufacturer and Hong Fu was one. They stayed with their current company.

Best overall really depends. I haven't ridden a 2013 Madone, any Wiliers, any Z1/2/3 Parlee, or any new Colnagos. Nor any custom steel. I really like the BMC line (Team Machine is really comfortable, yet snappy and the Race Machine is a seriously snappy bitch), the Dogma was absurdly stiff (but ugly IMO), the SL4 was fairly balanced all around, the Time RXR was pretty snappy feeling, and I actually liked the SuperSix Evo. To be honest almost all of the top end bikes are pretty damn good these days with slight nuances. For a while it seemed like brands had a tough time balancing stiffness with comfort and there was often a disconnect between bb/chain stay stiffness and overall stiffness taking the front triangle into account. It seems like most companies have figured this out to a degree since 2011, but where the generic bikes still lag.

I've been riding bikes and racing for over 35 years so I've ridden/owned a fair few frames in that time including Colnago C40, C50, Dream, Dream Plus HP and more recently the M10. My current race bike is a Scott Addict and as an out and out race machine it'd probably the most responsive frame I've ever cocked my aging leg over. I have ridden custom steel and aluminium frames from the likes of Brian Rourke, Dave Yates and Cougar. Absolutely beautiful examples of the frame-builders art. My first custom hand built steel frame was produced by Raleigh's Special Products Division at Ilkeston. For those who don't know, this was the unit that Raleigh used to build the frames ridden by the all powerful Ti Raleigh pro team who ruled the roost in European racing in the 70s and 80s. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to discuss my frame requirements with chief frame designer the late Gerald O'Donovan - a complete gentleman and a fountain of knowledge regarding frame design and geometry. It was thrilling to know that the same guy who was producing frames for Raas, Knetemann etc was building a Reynolds 753 masterpiece for a no-hoper like me! Still have that frame and no amount of money would tempt me to sell it.

Anyhow what's the point of this diatribe? Well let me elaborate on a point I made earlier in this thread. Several years ago I was looking to build a cheapish bike to use on my trips abroad and I happened upon one of the many internet forums discussing these Chinese open mold frames. So I thought, what the hell it's only £350 and so I bought a FM015 frame from DengFu, one of the most reliable Chinese vendors. Now I wouldn't claim to be a good enough rider to "test" or review any cycling equipment but I can certainly speak from personal experience. I'd ridden my FM015 on the cobbles of Flanders which are probably some of the worst roads in Europe, descended technical mountain roads in Mallorca and ridden races/ sportives throughout Ireland and the UK. My verdict on the frame? Faultless. On the back of my experiences with the FM015 I also bought a FM058 cyclocross frame, again from Dengfu. I now ridden two winters on that cross frame and once again, as with the FM015, I can find no failings with the frame. I would even go as far as stating that if I had to ride my FM015 and my C40 blind-folded (unlikely I know but you get the idea) I would have difficulty telling them apart. Now my Raleigh 753 might be a different story. I just think there's an awful lot of prejudicial nonsense written about these Chinese frames, perhaps sometimes by people who have their own agenda. BTW I'm 1.83m and 76kgs - no Chris Hoy but no lightweight either. Just my tuppence worth.

hong fu and deng fu (same factory) have really stepped it up the past year and i'd say, are producing frames that rival mid-level brands. i'm on an fm029 from deng-fu, and it's been great so far. i did replace the fork with an ec90sl but that was before it was built up and ridden anyways, so i can't speak for their fork.

Hate to say it, but none of those Colnagos (minus the M10, which I found to be pretty sub par) utilize most of the features or technology that modern frames have (with the exception of the Addict).

My last point before exiting is that I was able to get two of these frames for the price of my current race bike, a CAAD10. The CAAD is just as comfortable, but handles far better and is far stiffer. To me its a no brainer, but some are willing to take the hit in stiffness and ride quality so it looks nicer on a scale. If that's your goal then it makes sense.

Here it is, 13.7 pounds. All the parts/wheels were taken off another bike to see how it goes before investing in a new build. It is a keeper and the parts will stay on it! I'll be cutting the fork now that I'm happy with it.

The FM066SL has geometry identical to the C'dale Super Six suite. Steering is identical.It also has tubes shaped for a lateral stiffness bias similar to Cervelo's 'squoval' tubes.The fork just feels like a fork should feel to me. I haven't noticed anything peculiar about it.

As a lightweight I find my 48cm stiff but comfy. In fact I can feel the compliance as the seatpost deflects. It feels smooth with a little fore/aft differential movement between the bum and hands as if the top tube is compressing. The first time I rode it I came down a hill at one point with a slight bend to the right over a bit of a bump and the deflection in the seat gave me the odd sensation that I had a flat tyre. A heavy weight might find that seatpost a bit too soft.

The 48 cm frame is 825g with clear coat, cable stops and cable guide but no rd hanger. The cable stops are little plastic inserts that can be swapped for electronic cable ports.

As a lightweight I find my 48cm stiff but comfy. In fact I can feel the compliance as the seatpost deflects. It feels smooth with a little fore/aft differential movement between the bum and hands as if the top tube is compressing. The first time I rode it I came down a hill at one point with a slight bend to the right over a bit of a bump and the deflection in the seat gave me the odd sensation that I had a flat tyre. A heavy weight might find that seatpost a bit too soft.

@ Bob; Here i think is an important point, heavier riders and those loading up their bikes in corners / due to terrain etc may notice the "attributes" more than lighter riders on more forgiving terrain...

Makes a good point for tuning the build in alignment with your riding preferances;

Bigger riders perhaps use a main stream in line post (3T carbon) to firm up the rear, and perhaps an alternate fork...Smaller smoother riders looking for a smooth ride use the supplied seatpost and potentially fork too...

Hello guys if you have more input or more test ride it will be interesting i just ordered a FM066SL 58 from Miracle as i have a 79cm saddle hight , i ll build it up as soon as i receive it and i will let you know about the ride.

Hello just because the actual velobuild.com group-buy is getting them from Miracle. But no worries it s exactly the same has Hongfu , Dengfu , Miracles they are not the manufacturer they getting them from the same place .

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